Donald Trump Knows How To Stir Up A Crowd
Whatever your political leanings are, the one thing you can agree on is that Donald Trump knows how to draw a crowd. Having already attended two previous rallies earlier in the year, I went into yesterday having a fairly good idea of the evening was going to unfold. Trump has a pretty standard boilerplate template when it comes to making appearances in this crucial of swing states.
Even if you’re not a supporter or a protester, the spectacle of it all is still a sight to behold.
The first thing you encounter after making your way through the parking lot, is a row of vendors that are selling all sorts of colorful clothing and Trump swag. The theme of the unofficial Trump clothing line was Hillary Clinton and making sure she ended up behind bars. There were bumper stickers, hats, buttons, flags, shirts, and bottled water, all emblazoned with the trump brand. If you could wear it, they were selling it.
So after getting past the merchandise tables, there was another sales pitch to be had.
One thing that can be said for the organization at these rallies is that there are numerous volunteers who are very devoted to the campaigns cause. A woman approached me with a clipboard and asked if I was registered to vote. I informed her that I was, and she told me that if I went to a website, I could change my party affiliation from independent or democrat, to republican. I thought it was a bit odd that she thought someone would change their political affiliation at the drop of a hat, and the only thing that prevented me from doing so was finding the proper website.
Talking with this particular volunteer then became uncomfortable. She went on a diatribe on how Barack Obama wasn’t doing enough to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and terrorism. I then pointed out that the sitting president has deported more immigrants and killed more terrorists than his predecessor, and she was not having it. She simply refused that this could be true, gave me a stare, and shook her head as if all of those things were simply made up. Almost as if she pitied me.
Having realized that neither of us would settle on any common ground, we both said farewell.
That Wednesday was particularly hot and humid and after a long chat with a lovely Trump volunteer, I needed something to drink. The general public knows that when you attend any event, whether it’s a football game, concert, or theme park, you know that you are going to pay a premium for bottled water. It’s just the price you pay for convenience and lack of foresight.
But it is beyond the pale that I was charged $3 for a cup of bottled water from a vendor outside the gate. The nice lady at the register informed me that I would be unable to bring the bottle into the venue. I insisted that I wouldn’t be going in for a while and that I would still like to have the remaining water that I paid $3 for. She shrugged her shoulders and winced at me as if there was literally no way on earth that she could give me the bottle of water I had paid for.
Feeling slightly ripped off, I headed to the back of the line that was waiting to get inside.
Waiting in line, I overheard an elderly woman explaining to her friends that she and her sister were no longer talking due to the fact that she was voting for Hillary Clinton. It was a bit troubling to hear variations of that woman’s story throughout the day. Brothers not talking to sisters, friends falling out after discovering the others political leanings, this was a race that was dividing people like no other before it in my generation.
Inside the auditorium, gatherers took to the bleachers to await the republican nominee. The National media had set up their cameras waiting for the events to begin. One of the surprise guests of the evening was former mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani, and everyone fawned over his appearance as he took the stage.
Listening to the former mayor had the feel of a WWE wrestling match. He pointed out that the media was treating the coverage of the Republican Party unfairly, and all of the attendees turned and booed with great enthusiasm, at the bullpen filled with national reporters. Giuliani even went off script and said that he believed Barack Obama was “an honest person”, and the crowds boos grew even louder.
Then audience’s savior came out to address them.
Trumps speech started with all of the greatest hits. He promised that jobs would be coming back to America, immigration was going to get back under control, and that corporations were going to face severe penalties if they didn’t pay their fair share of taxes. He did not address in any specific way on how he was going to do any of those things, but the crowd cheered every time he ended a sentence.
At the end of the day Donald Trump said all the right things to his voting base, and they cheered vigorously up until he left the stage. Election Day is getting closer and closer, and according to both sides, they have the upper hand. Either way, it’s going to be a very entertaining ride to the finish line.